A Hialeah man is facing DUI charges after police say he drove his Toyota Highlander the wrong way down East 39th Street before slamming into a motorcyclist just after 3:20 p.m. last Sunday, leaving the rider with multiple rib and pelvic fractures. Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Barrera was booked into jail on charges of DUI and DUI with damage to property or person, according to the arrest report.
The collision happened at the intersection of East 4th Avenue and East 39th Street, where Rodriguez-Barrera’s SUV struck a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, according to NBC 6 South Florida. The impact was severe enough that it crushed the SUV’s side doors inward and shattered its windows, according to WSVN 7News, which reported the SUV had been traveling the wrong way on East 39th Street prior to the impact.
The motorcyclist suffered multiple rib fractures, multiple pelvic fractures, and facial lacerations in the crash, per the arrest report cited by NBC 6. A Miami-Dade Air Rescue helicopter was dispatched to fly the injured rider from Hialeah to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, per WSVN’s reporting on the response.
Signs of Impairment at the Scene
A Hialeah police officer who responded to the crash reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol on Rodriguez-Barrera’s breath and noted his bloodshot, red eyes, according to the arrest report. The officer also described Rodriguez-Barrera as erratic and argumentative, and he refused to perform field sobriety exercises, the report states…